


Queen for a Day

by Herald_of_Naamah



Series: In the Family [5]
Category: Dragon Age: Origins
Genre: F/F, F/M, Genderswap
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-12
Updated: 2019-05-20
Packaged: 2020-03-01 07:02:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 1,697
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18795331
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Herald_of_Naamah/pseuds/Herald_of_Naamah
Summary: A spell goes awry with amusing consequences.





	1. Chapter 1

Morrigan did not dislike being queen per se. It offered her unlimited access to materials and knowledge she would have otherwise found unattainable, and the living conditions were the best she could hope to have. Velvet and lace surrounded her, and she had all the assistants she could possibly desire.

Smiling she considered that overall even her company was not bad. Her son Keiran was growing quickly, nearly her match in wit as he was his father’s in strength. Alistair has even changed, letting his natural intellect come through after years hiding the abilities.

Even with these wonderful things, winters were hard. Boring. The chill climate forbade travel, and pushed all indoors. So Morrigan found herself again in a tizzy, having read every book and struggling for new material.

The witch was bored.

Her fifth winter in Denerim, she was done with it. She was going to find a way to have fun.


	2. Chapter 2

Alistair was tired.

Not physically of course. He had gotten more than enough sleep recently, with the longer nights and lack of work. He had even taken to helping with some daily chores in the castle to the keepers’ chagrin, assisting with manado and horses and reviewing the armory to ensure it was up to his standards. Now he was just tired of all the bland nothingness that stretched before him.

So he decided to bother Morrigan.

It took hours to even find her. She had taken her tomes and inexplicably moved into the underground rooms. Her face was lit with a soft gentle candlelight, though it turned sinister as she heard him and looked up. The smile that greeted him was wicked.

He shuddered. At least, though, it should not be boring.


	3. Chapter 3

Alistair was aware he had stepped in a mine immediately but had no way to turn back. He smiled back at Morrigan and gulped as he fought the urge to run, stretching his arms upward.

“Working on anything interesting?”

“I think so,” she admitted, demeanor turning studious. “I’m looking into ways to perfect my shape shifting.”

Alistair shifted forward as his eyebrow lifted, unable to hold back an intrigue. “I thought you were quite at the top of your game there. What’s next, the dragon thing your mother enjoyed?”

“No, not really,” she sighed, barely bemused. “I was thinking of forcing shape into an outside being.” She moved her book over so he could look over her notes, relying for a moment on the knowledge he had garnered from a distance in the Tower to aide her with another set of eyes.

He perused her pages, chuckling as he suggested, “So we can turn our enemies into sheep now? Sounds like fun.”

“I thought so,” Morrigan admitted. “It doesn’t seem to pan out when I redo it though. Mages have tried with only short term success for a reason... the shape seems to get rejected.”

“Maybe start with a willing subject and something you both know well?” Alistair suggested. “Could at least give a baseline.”

The witch nodded. “That has promise. And the spell itself shouldn’t be too hard. Would you be willing?”

It was a fly in a web. Yet he was bored, and happy to give her something. Alistair shrugged and nodded. “What shape did you have in mind?”

When she told him, they both laughed aloud.


	4. Chapter 4

He transformation hurt. Alistair felt a burn behind his eyes as his head swam, finding himself brought to his knees as the magic swirled through him. Templar senses almost kicked in on instinct to combat it, but he held back until the sensation ebbed.

“Alistair!”

All motions stalled and Alistair let his body fall. Morrigan was suddenly at his side, mouth gaping as she looked her husband over.

“Can we not do the burnt thing next time?” he managed to croak out, but paused. His voice was far too high. He held out a hand, seeing the fingers thin and more languid. And down...

“It worked.” 

Morrigan seemed pleased. Alistair was amused, hand moving to his chest to touch the more rounded forms. Morrigan has supplanted her own form in theory, one they both knew intimately. This was off. “It isn’t exact,” he remarked.

Morrigan nodded. “Hair stayed blonde as well. It’s as though the form was a suggestion, but edited to meld with reality. Fascinating.”

“Yes. Well, I’d still rather not do that again.”

Morrigan could only chuckle. “I suppose not. Even so, I thank you for your assistance. I’ll make my notes and add them.” With that she cast a spell to dispel, frowning as it bounced off Alistair’s female form. She tried again before straightening in alarm. “Why don’t you...”

Without further prompting Alistair pulled on his well-remembered albeit brief training and pushed outward.

Nothing.

Simultaneously, king and queen both cursed.


	5. Chapter 5

The couple tried for hours to dispel Morrigan’s work with no effect. Alistair still had a very female form, and even seemed naturally resistant to all spells; while this was admittedly interesting and the features pleasing, the novelty wore off quickly in the frustration of not being able to fix it. They sat together quietly, a strange silence hovering between them.

“Well.” Alistair broke the trance of disappointment, cinching his leggings with the belt and shaking his head. “Might look better after a meal and some rest I think. Different light and all that.”

Morrigan nodded her agreement but looked her partner over. “Mayhaps. How do we get upstairs without... questions?”

Alistair looked down himself and cringed. The nobles were already up in arms, displeased at times with his apostate queen. This was fuel he did not care to add to the fire so to speak. “I could be a cousin or something maybe?” he offered meekly.

Deciding that would have to do the duo headed up from the basements. Luckily no one did see as they snuck into Morrigan’s quarters and shuffled in. Morrigan shooed her spouse into the boudoir as she called for staff to bring dinner and request no disturbances until she bloody well decided to exit of her own accord. Then they settled in for the night...

The couple DID have an interesting, actually enjoyable evening. When they finally fell asleep it was in each other’s arms, wrapped up and hoping that a good sleep and the next morning would see the solution to the fairly large problem that had arisen.


	6. Chapter 6

Alistair was even more bored than before.

When he awoke in the morning, still definitively female, he was a bit too timid to move about the castle. Morrigan dresses him conservatively, handed him a few books, and went into problem mode as she volunteered to take over his small council meeting that afternoon. Alistair wasn’t particularly looking forward anyway, so happily allowed her to do so at first.

Now he was bemoaning the fact he’d missed... a meeting. It was that boring.

By the evening meal he was twiddling his fingers, groping the body, and lightly swinging his legs over the edge of the large bed. Morrigan walked in to see his eyes shining, saw his motions, and sighed.

“I hate your job.”


	7. Chapter 7

Morrigan had not quite expected the bombardment she experienced upon announcing Alistair was under the weather and she would be handling his affairs for the day. It was winter, a quiet off season, and Alistair himself had long complained of the kind of boredom she described. Apparently his definition was not quite the same as her own.

“If his highness is not available will you be reviewing the upcoming troop requests?”

“Are we still keeping fires going in the southern wing?”

“Three treatises were brought by emergency courier. Would you like to review them, or should a signature be placed regardless?”

Queries were slow in coming to be sure, not on top of each other, but they were steady. Morrigan managed each one as she beat saw fit, but tact was not her main character. Keeping a temper was a chore for her, and while she maintained it that day it was irksome to say the least. Still, starting a civil war on her day in charge seemed a poor thing to do for her love and king.

She came back exhausted, two bowls of a stew in hand, and saw him on her bed... fiddling. She sighed as her eyes rolled, gaining his attention as she made her proclamation:

“I hate your job.”


	8. Chapter 8

Alistair listened to Morrigan’s recap with a chuckle, but heard her clearly. Having spent a day in her world he even sympathized.

“My issue was always monotony,” he admitted. “You though have truly nothing to do it seems.”

“True.”

“What if we split it up a bit? When things come back around?”

Morrigan nodded. “Sharing the real work? Together? As long as you handle protocol I’m game. And you can have a little less to do.”

They snuggled then after sharing their meal, resting and letting sleep come. Work had not been done on the spell, but perhaps the more important part was complete. Tomorrow was another day, after all, and now they understood each other better.


	9. Chapter 9

When Alistair awoke in Morrigan’s room the second morning, he stretched and let his head come back to him. He reached down to his chest and...

Nothing.

Alistair then looked down in disbelief. His natural, masculine body was back. Smiling wide, he looked further down to verify EVERYTHING was in place and was pleased to find it so. Then he woke Morrigan, who started groggy and then came awake as his words made sense to her brain. She joined him in relief.

Even so, not everything returned to as it was.

Alistair had come to truly understand Morrigan’s boredom and swore to share the load more evenly. Even in winter when he too was waning. Her pleasure was palpable, and the days easier.

For her part, Morrigan recognized better her husband’s ability to work with people and gave him his due as a diplomat. It was a new respect that came of his temper control, and she was happy to have seen what he went through more day to day.

It was one step closer to happy ever after.


End file.
